


Requited

by itsmeyaboi_redacted1



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Background Case, Case Fic, Fallen Angel Castiel (Supernatural), Human Castiel (Supernatural), M/M, Swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-12 15:54:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28762893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itsmeyaboi_redacted1/pseuds/itsmeyaboi_redacted1
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

He was an angel - the angel of Thursday, as appointed by a father whose absence was more motivating than his presence. Castiel was not meant to feel, he was not meant to think. The angel was not meant to go from flying in the air to breathing it in with human lungs. 

After the fall, Castiel found himself questioning the credibility of his father. Could a God so cruel be omnibenevolent, omniscient, omnipotent? 

Would a God so cruel create an angel fated to fall for a man? Perhaps if it had been a different man things would have been easy. Castiel would still be among his brothers and sisters; he would be unburdened by the grace that mingled with the blood of humans. Things could never be easy. Castiel had not fallen for a different man. 

Castiel fell for the sword of Michael, a charming and selfless man. Castiel fell for a man burdened by traumatic experiences. Castiel fell for Dean Winchester. 

He is still falling.  
____________________________________________________

He was a hunter - Daddy's little blunt instrument, as trained by a father whose presence was more punishing than his absence. Dean was not meant to stray, he was not meant to live. The hunter was not meant to escape from the life to find his own.

After John's death, Dean questioned his worth. He questioned what role he had left to play. How could a father leave his son with nothing but the duty to watch over his brother?

Would a good father erase all memories of a loving mother from his sons, would he teach a man to have no sense of self-worth? Would a good father tell his son that there are no angels watching over him? Perhaps if John had been a more holy man, Dean would not have suffered. Perhaps he could have gone to baseball games and learned to believe he was worthy of saving. Perhaps Dean Winchester would have immediately believed that Castiel, an angel of the Lord, could protect him.

Dean Winchester suffered at the hands of his father. He depended heavily on his brother. He met an angel who knew he deserved to be saved, and he found himself hoping - for what, he did not know.

He is still hoping.

____________________________________________________

"Alright Sammy, don't wait up. Me and Cas are gonna head to Clifton New Jersey, go down to the sheriff's department and ask about those missing teens while you do...whatever it is you do."

Sam looks up from where he had been typing, glancing between the two men before him. He takes note of Dean's seemingly forced nonchalance and Cas' wary expression. The younger Winchester clears his throat. "You mean doing the research that let's us save these people? Yeah, I'll get right back on that, Dean. Clearly I was distracted by Busty Asian-"

Dean quickly cuts Sam off, aware of the ex-angel standing beside him. "I will take that laptop from you and force you to drag those giraffe legs of yours to the library."

Sam grins mischievously, tilting his head low, concocting an elaborate scheme in his head to get back at Dean. "Just get going, jerk."

Dean side-eyes Sam. "Bitch." 

The eldest Winchester nods to Cas. "Let's get going before Sam reads some chick-flic to us."

Castiel narrows his eyes. "That sounds like an incredible waste of time."

Dean shakes his head, no irritation in his heart as he nudges Cas to start moving to the garage.

........................

"Alright Cas, once we get to Sheriff Munthrow's office just follow my lead. I'll ask some questions, you can look around her office and see if there's anything that stands out."

Castiel turns his head away from the window to look at Dean. "I am aware of how to act, Dean. I have been alive for several millenia. I understand human nuances."

Dean let his fingers dance on the wheel of Baby, his mouth tightening into something grim before carefully returning to a neutral position. Dean waves his hand in a movement that Cas cannot interpret. "I know that, Cas. It's just, well, I already know you, you know?"

Cas tilts his head quizically at the man. "No, I do not know."

Dean's fingers stop tapping the wheel, gears seeming to turn in his head. "These other people," he ventures, "they're professionals. They think you need to be on their level. They're jackasses." 

The man in the passenger seat nods thoughtfully, humming deep in his throat. If Dean's heart clenches at the small noise, he makes no sign of it. "I...appreciate the concern, Dean. I will look around the office."

A ghost of a smile appears on Dean's face as he momentarily takes his eyes off of the road to look at Cas. "Thanks, Cas."

The ex-angel smiles softly, the corners of his eyes crinkling. His hands clench minutely, barely noticeable. If Cas notices how beautiful the greens of Dean's irises are, he doesn't say anything when he turns back to look out the window.

.......................

The impala rolls into a motel's parking lot several hours later, the sun already set. Cas is asleep and Dean can feel his eyelids drooping. Dean shakes Cas's shoulder, saying his name.

Cas grumbles, squinting in the dim light of the motel. He sits up, slumping forward before rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. Turning his head towards Dean, he takes in the man's tired features. "It's very late," Cas informs. 

Dean sighs out a small "yep," reaching into the backseat to grab his duffel bag and suit, stepping out of the car. Cas follows his example, grabbing his things and practically stepping on Dean's shoes in his casual rush to catch up. 

Dean doesn't bother lecturing Cas about personal space.

The two men walk to the front desk, Dean ringing a small bell that summons a tired looking man. Castiel stares at the man, studying him. The motel worker blinks and Dean is already introducing himself as Jimmy Page while requesting a room with two beds, sliding money towards him. Dean is handed a pair of keys and hastily abandoned by the worker.

Running his thumb along the smooth expanse of the key as they walk, Dean tilts his head in Cas's general direction (somewhere behind him and slightly to the left) as they find their motel room. "You seem pretty tired," the green-eyed man remarks. 

Castiel nods before remembering Dean is not actually looking at him. "The car ride took a considerable amount of time." 

They reach the door, Dean swiftly unlocking it and using the force of his shoulder to swing it open. "Ah, Cas. It's the little things that out you as not being a seasoned hunter."

Even with his dry tone, sarcasm drips from Cas's tongue. "Forgive me for not spending all of my time with you and Sam."

Dean lets out a dry laugh, wandering further into the room and doing a quick once over. "I can't imagine any better use of your time." 

The blue-eyed man places his belongings beside the bed closest to the door, quipping "I am sure you will think of a solution."

Scratching along his chin, Dean feigns being in deep thought as he sets his own bags next to the other bed. "I'll tell you as soon as I do. Don't you worry that pretty little head of yours." 

Dean grabs his suit (plus Cas's from the floor) and hangs it up on the shower curtain. Castiel sits down and wonders if Dean really thinks he's pretty.

Both men perform their nightly rituals around each other like clockwork, lapsing into comfortable silences and drifting into sleep.

.......................

After consuming copious amounts of coffee and pie from a local diner, Dean and Cas arrive at the sheriff's office. Dean saunters over to the receptionist, Castiel shuffling behind him. "Hi there. I'm Agent Cash," Dean produces a fake FBI badge. "This is my partner Agent Clapton-" A nudge to the ribs followed by the presentation of an upside-down badge "-We're here investigating a series of disappearances and we'd like to make sure the information you have is correct. We need to talk to the sheriff."

The receptionist glances at the badges before giving the pair of men a polite smile. "She's in her office. I'll tell her you're here, if you could take a seat."

Dean thanks the receptionist, Cas commenting "You are doing very important work." Dean gestures for Cas to join him in sitting on the plastic chairs. 

Castiel sits down, wiggling in his seat momentarily. "This seat is very uncomfortable."

The more-experienced man adjusts his tie, taking a seat beside the other. He leans over, speaking in a hushed and playful tone. "Looks like they weren't expecting visitors."

A woman with poofy ombre hair ambles over. "Well hello, agents! I'm Sheriff Munthrow. Follow me to my office where we can talk."


	2. Chapter 2

Dean and Castiel follow the sheriff into her office with no remarkable characteristics, the walls beige and the carpet orange. Sheriff Munthrow stalks over to her chair and sits with a huff.

Castiel briefly looks to Dean for answers, sensing tension on the woman, but Dean is already sitting. The chairs in here are plastic as well. The ex-angel stands still for a moment, dreading the uncomfortable seating and sitting down as well.

Sheriff Munthrow takes a deep breath, adjusting a pile of papers on her desk. "I take it you two didn't come here for a social call. This is about all those teens going missing. I have no idea what I'm going to tell their parents."

"Right now you can focus on telling us about those kids." Dean's voice is firm, leaving no room for question. Castiel finds himself admiring Dean's clearheadedness.

The woman looks left and right, as if checking for eavesdroppers. She leans forward almost conspiratorially, lowering her voice slightly. "I'm not one for bashing on teens, but these are trouble-makers. Sure, they acted nice but every other weekend they were at the station. Always got caught exploring and vandalizing abandoned buildings and what-have-you. Not to say they aren't nice kids, but put five teens together and they'll wreak havoc."

Dean shifts in his chair, his tongue briefly pressing against his cheek. "And how long, exactly, have they been missing?"

Munthrow throws her hands up, clearly frustrated. "You're the agent, you tell me. Every single one of them lied about where they were going to their folks. They said they were gonna go camping a week ago. All we know is...well...they may have gone camping, but. Well, earlier this morning we found one of them. They were in an abandoned building, fresh paint and blood on the walls." 

Genuinely surprised, Dean's eyebrows shoot up, his mouth dropping open a fraction. A calm fury seeps through his teeth. "One of these teens are dead and you didn't start with that?"

The sheriff leans back in her chair, looking at the ceiling. "We have no idea what killed William. It looks like he was mauled by a wild animal."

This grabs Castiel's attention. "Is his heart intact?"

Munthrow blinks at Cas. "He was torn into. His body's in the morgue. What's left of it, anyway." 

Castiel hunches over to the side, failing at casually whispering to Dean. He stares directly at Munthrow while speaking aloud to Dean. "We need to see the body. It could possibly be a werew-"

The more experienced man starts to cough, leaning away from Castiel to get him to stop talking. "Agent Clapton, how about you call our supervisor and tell him that William is dead."

Squinting at Dean, Castiel lifts himself out of the chair and smooths his coat. "I will call the supervisor." A wink. 

Dean nods cautiously, a forced smile on his face. "Good idea."

Munthrow looks between the two men, doubt appearing on her face as Castiel walks out of the room. "How long have you two been agents, exactly?"

He forces a laugh. "He's new."

.......................

Castiel is standing beside the impala looking lost, a phone hanging limply in his hands when Dean walks out. Dean gives Cas a once-over. "You were supposed to look around."

Deep in thought, Castiel blankly nods. "Why would Sheriff Munthrow neglect telling us of the boy William's death?"

Dean exhales loudly, almost groaning. "No clue. Let's call Sam and head down to the morgue, see this body for ourselves and rule out the usual suspects. This might not even be our kind of case."

Grumbling, the man quickly gets into Baby. The engine purrs and Dean's fingers tap on the wheel, raising an eyebrow and looking over at Cas. "You getting in?"

Castiel watches Dean in his apparent frustration, glancing at the vein in Dean's neck and the white collar of his shirt brushing against it. Clearing his throat and willing away any blush showing on his skin, the fallen angel swings his door open and takes a seat.

.......................

Once the sheriff's office is out of sight, Dean grimaces and lets his eyes dart from the road very briefly to look at the man beside him. Castiel is looking at the road intently, brows furrowed.

Music blares from the radio, filling the otherwise empty space between the two men. Dean turns the volume down. "Mind calling Sam?"

Slowly turning his head towards Dean, Cas nods and fumbles for his phone from his trench coat pocket. Dean waits a moment before the telltale sign of a phone call being made rings out.

Sam's voice crackles from the speaker. "Get anything useful from the sheriff?"

Dean subconsciously leans closer to the phone, focused. "Turns out one of those kids are dead and the sheriff conveniently left that detail out so we're headed to the morgue."

Sam's fuzzy voice sounds inquisitive. "What do you mean she left out a kid dying?"

Dean throws a hand up in the air, leaning away and back to the road. "Turns out one of our missing kids got mauled this morning in an abandoned building after going missing for who knows how long."

The youngest of the trio pauses. "Mauled? Did she mention where?"

Cas speaks up. "We were directed to the morgue by the sheriff to inspect the remains. They will likely know where the body was found." 

A little "hm" comes from the phone. "Tell me once you have more information. I'm checking out monsters that have been known to be in the area. I've called some hunters and so far I haven't found anything that goes bump in the night.

"There is one weird thing, though."

Dean's neck cranes towards the phone. "Care to share with the class, Sammy?"

Sam laughs. "Shut up. So anyways, get this. New Jersey seems to have some pretty major lore. There have been multiple reports of shit going down around what the locals call Clifton's Gates of Hell-" Dean interjects, "that's horse shit, the gate to hell isn't in Jersey." "-Yeah, I know. They think it is in a storm drain mimicking the nine layers of hell. It's supposedly filled with corpses and ritualistic remains - and a glowing skull that summons Satan." 

Dean's eyes widen, his lips curling in disbelief. "I hate urban legends. Cas, is there any way any of this is true?"

Castiel shakes his head. "No, this story is preposterous. Lucifer is in the Cage."

Sam exclaims. "There's a gate to hell in Jersey?"

"This gate is relatively new, only a few centuries old. A powerful coven created the pathway before being killed by angels. The angels who killed them ensured no man would encounter the skull." 

Dean looks dumbfounded. "Did fucking New Jersey lead us to Lucifer? Again?"

Castiel turns to Dean, humor in his eyes. "Of course not. That is ridiculous. Lucifer is not interested in New Jersey." 

Dean deflates. "Okay... So what is so important about this gate, Sam? What does this have to do with our case?"

"People have gone missing while exploring the drains, Dean. Remains have been found in and around them, mauled beyond recognition. No specific body parts have been taken, though. Something is clearly eating down there."

Dean registers what Sam says. "Well. Me and Cas will call you back once we've seen the new body. Thanks, Sammy."

Castiel hangs up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've changed a bit of information about Clifton's Gate's of Hell to better fit my story.  
> I am also using this fanfiction to practice my grammar.  
> I have an ear infection so it might take a little longer to update this.  
> I have carpal tunnel syndrome so this isn't going to be updated for months.

**Author's Note:**

> This is a work in progress. I'll be updating without a real schedule.


End file.
